The plateau of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure and the Great Sphinx, on Cairo's western edge. Hotels in Nazlet el-Semman, below the plateau, sell rooms and rooftops with the pyramids in view, and the historic Mena House sits at the foot of them, which makes Giza a base of its own rather than a trip from central Cairo. The Grand Egyptian Museum is 2 km away, and Saqqara 25 km south. Go at the 07:00 opening, before the heat and the tour buses.
Highlights
- Great Pyramid of Khufu
- Great Sphinx and the Valley Temple
- Panorama Point over all nine pyramids
- Inside the Great Pyramid (extra ticket)
- Breakfast on a rooftop facing the pyramids
- Camel or horse ride on the desert edge
- Sound and Light Show
- Grand Egyptian Museum next door
Things to do
- Giza plateau: Great Pyramid, Khafre and MenkaureMorning · 3h
- Great Sphinx and the Valley Temple of KhafreMorning · 1h
- Panorama Point and a camel ride on the desert edgeAfternoon · 1h 30m
- Sound and Light Show at the SphinxEvening · 1h
- Rooftop sunset over the pyramidsEvening · 1h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: October – April
Heads up
Hot Summer in Cairo
June to August reach 35-38 °C in Cairo, hotter on the open Giza plateau: see the pyramids at the 07:00 opening and spend the afternoon in the Grand Egyptian Museum's air-conditioned halls.
Heads up
Khamsin Dust Winds
In spring the khamsin, a hot, dusty wind off the Sahara, blows for a few days at a time: the sky turns orange, visibility drops, Luxor's balloons are grounded and flights can be delayed. Keep a scarf and sunglasses handy, and a spare day for the balloon or desert trip.
Heads up
Ramadan: Shorter Hours
Ramadan falls about February to March in 2027 (the dates move about 11 days earlier each year). Museums, sites, shops and offices keep shorter hours, many local restaurants open only after sunset, traffic jams just before the evening meal, and the evenings are lively. Tourist hotels and resorts serve food and drink as usual; eat and drink discreetly in public by day.
Heads up
Peak Season Crowds
Christmas to mid-January is the busiest time at the pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum, Karnak and the Valley of the Kings: book the museum's timed tickets, the sleeper train and any Nile cruise well ahead, and be at each site at opening.
- Ramadan — The fasting month: many cafés and restaurants outside the tourist hotels close by day, sites and offices keep shorter hours, and the streets come alive after the sunset meal (iftar), with lanterns (fanous) and late-night crowds in Islamic Cairo. Eat and drink discreetly in public by day. It falls about February to March in 2027.
- Eid al-Fitr — Three days of holiday at the end of Ramadan: Egyptian families head for Alexandria, the Red Sea and Sinai, so beach hotels, trains and buses fill and prices rise. Banks and offices close.
- Eid al-Adha — The feast of the sacrifice, a four-day holiday: sheep are slaughtered in the streets on the first morning, and the beaches and trains fill with Egyptian holidaymakers. About May in 2027.
- Sham el-Nessim — An ancient spring festival on the Monday after Coptic Easter: all Egypt picnics in parks, on the Nile banks and at the Giza plateau, with salted fish (feseekh) and coloured eggs. Expect crowds at every green space and Nile felucca stand.
- Christmas, New Year and the winter peak — Late December to early January is the busiest fortnight of Egypt's season: Nile cruises, Abu Simbel flights, the Watania sleeper and Grand Egyptian Museum time slots sell out, and Luxor and Aswan hotels raise their rates. Book by October.